Reunion Surprise
by DreamingOfCupcakes
Summary: When Hermione is invited to the Hogwarts Reunion & Ball, she comes back to Hogwarts to reunite with her friends and Hogwarts for a week. But the ball...is another story. Ginny's going with Harry...Ron's going with Lavender...but who will Hermione go with?


Reunion Surprise

It was a grayish July afternoon. _How strange…_thought a 20-year-old Hermione Granger.

Hermione had been living in the dreary apartment for…what, 2 weeks now? She had to admit, it was getting boring. She started pacing on the carpet, feeling dully blasé.

"ARRGH!"

Hermione cried out in surprise as her tawny owl Mulligan dropped a letter on her head. She collected herself as she picked up the letter. Mulligan was obviously startled. She stroked his feathery head. "Sorry, Mulligan, you startled me." Hermione said gently. She sat down and ripped open the envelope, wondering who it was from. She let out a gasp. It was Minerva McGonagall's (the Hogwarts headmistress) handwriting. She started reading.

Dear Miss Granger,

You have been invited to the first-ever Hogwarts Reunion! Next week, many of your friends will be there for just one week, with a ball on Sunday. Enclosed is a ticket for the Hogwarts Express.

Hoping to see you there and well,

Minerva McGonagall

Hogwarts Headmistress

Hermione let out an excited gasp and hugged the feathery creature next to her. "Oh, Mulligan! There's a Hogwarts reunion and ball!"

Mulligan let out a hoot of discomfort and Hermione quickly took her arms off him and stroked him instead.

Her mind wandered. She was wondering who she would go to the ball with. She sighed. Ron? Maybe. He had never seemed to love her very much. After all, she had kissed him, not the other way around. But she knew who _would_ ask her. The one and only, pointed-chinned, blond-haired, Draco Malfoy.

It was a known fact that Draco Malfoy wanted her. In truth, he wasn't really bad-looking…but Ron and Harry would _kill_ her if she went with him. Besides, she hated him.

She sighed again and let herself fall into an uneasy sleep.

Hermione had been at Hogwarts for barely five minutes, when Ron, Harry, and Ginny had come to hug her.

She laughed. "Don't suffocate me before the reunion dinner!"

They laughed with her, and then there was an awkward silence.

"So, where are we sleeping, then?" asked Ginny, shattering the quiet.

Harry shrugged and nudged her. "Gin, will you go to the reunion ball with me?" Harry whispered quite audibly. Ginny gave him a mischievous grin, which he took as a yes.

They kissed lightly and then the four of them walked off to the Great Hall for dinner.

"Welcome, my former students!" said Minerva McGonagall cheerfully.

There was a great roar from the crowd and McGonagall received a loud applause, which she held up a hand to acknowledge it.

"I have no words except welcome back, so tuck in!"

There was a smattering of applause and everyone grabbed chops and puddings.

Harry, Ron, and Dean were arguing about Quidditch, so Hermione turned to Ginny. Looking around and making sure the three boys weren't listening, she muttered almost inaudibly, "Must be nice to have a boyfriend."

Ginny raised her eyebrows. Eventually she smiled. "Yeah, it's pretty great. Especially the snogging."

There was a short silence, and then both girls burst into laughter.

Ginny looked excited, as though she had wanted to be on this topic for ages.

"Did you ever kiss Krum?"

Hermione giggled again. "Yes!"

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "What was it like?"

"Amazing! He was _such _a good kisser!"

"What do you mean, _was_?"

"Well, you know how he's an international Quidditch player and all. It was so hard to keep in touch, he was getting so distant, and I told him we just couldn't go on anymore. And he agreed."

Ginny stuck out her lip in sympathy. "Sorry, Herm."

Hermione shook her head, and her tone turned cold. "Don't be. If Viktor had truly, deeply loved me, he would give up Quidditch for me."

Ginny waggled her eyebrows, said "I suppose." and then dug into her treacle tart.

Hermione sighed with the weight of memory and took a bite of apple pie.

An hour later, she was in her old Gryffindor dormitory, about to sleep. She turned over and let sleep overcome her.

Hermione pulled on a set of lilac robes and groggily walked down to the Gryffindor common room to make a cup of tea.

It was early, and only the first risers were up, including Ginny (who was snogging Harry in an armchair), Ron, Romilda Vane, and Parvati Patil.

She yawned loudly and sat down on a couch. She loved the peace and quiet of mornings.

But the peace didn't last long. Suddenly there was a shriek of "WON-WON!"

Hermione's eyes widened. Lavender Brown, Ron's old girlfriend, had the nerve to talk to him?

Ron's eyes were wide as well. Ginny and Harry had ceased their snogging, and Parvati had looked up from her book.

Lavender did not seem to notice. She plopped down on the couch, next to Ron. "Will you go to the ball with me, Won-Won?"

"I-I-what? I mean-no-well, erm, I suppose," Ron said lamely. Lavender gave a shriek and fiercely pressed her lips on his, not seeming to care that Ron wasn't returning the kiss.

Hermione turned away, tiny tears glimmering in her big brown eyes. She could just-go to the ball alone. That was it. Right now, she felt a furious envy of Ginny, who had a boyfriend who stayed with her.

"Do you know how much I envy you?"

It was Sunday night, and Hermione and Ginny were getting ready for the ball. Hermione was going solo, and Ginny was obviously attending with Harry.

The girls had to say, they looked rather nice. Hermione was wearing a ruby-red strapless sweetheart dress with her hair down. Ginny was wearing her hair up in a loose bun, and a strapless blue sweetheart dress with black leggings under it.

"And I pity you. No ball partner." Ginny said sympathetically.

"Hmph. I still could meet someone else at the ball, someone partnerless…."

Ginny snorted. "Yeah. Of course."

The two girls then walked down to the ball, hand in hand.

The ball hadn't been much fun so far. At least, not for Hermione. She crossed her arms as she looked at the waltzing couples. Ginny and Harry, Ron and Lavender, Parvati and Dean, Pansy and…Blaise?

"Surprised?" said a voice from behind her. It was cold, drawling. She recognized that voice.

"Malfoy." Hermione acknowledged him dully.

He held out his hand, but she shook her head. "I would never dance with you, Malfoy." Hermione said coldly.

He raised his eyebrows. "You'll see, Granger."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. An odd feeling squirmed in her stomach. She knew it must be nearly midnight.

BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. The clock was striking midnight. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG.

Draco seized Hermione's cheeks and pulled them up to his. He crushed his lips against hers. Hermione's eyes widened and started fidgeting. He placed a finger on her cheek and she immediately ceased. Once Hermione had stopped fighting, Draco deepened the kiss. It felt like a wave rushing to his heart. It was happening, the moment she had fantasized about for so long, gently kissing her red lips. The kiss was hard yet soft, fiery but cool, a split second, but also forever. When they finally broke apart, he murmured, "We've got watchers."

And indeed they did. Several people wolf-whistled and clapped gleefully as Hermione looked bewildered. She walked slowly with him to the door, thinking.

The man she had despised for so long…the man she had slapped at the height of fury…a better kisser and lover than Ronald Weasley, gentler, deeper…

He stopped in the corridor against a wall. Hermione stopped too, staring at him. She opened her mouth, and all she could manage to say was "Why?"

"Quite simply, I love you."

Hermione didn't know what to say to this. She thought she hated him…but things had changed…under the circumstance. She raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"When you slapped me. And when you shortened your teeth. And when you were at the ball with Krum."

Before Hermione could say anything else, Draco gently took her cheeks again and kissed her gently. The second kiss seemed even more powerful. It was like an explosion of total peace and serenity between them both. The true meaning of life, love, and the utter wonder on her face; hoping this night would never end.

When they stopped kissing again, Hermione realized her true love for Draco Malfoy. She might have hated him in the past, but now…

She was nearly crying as she threw her arms around him. "I love you!"

"I love you too."

Then their lips met for the third time…

FIN


End file.
